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启蒙的真谛[1]“启蒙”的本义是开启蒙昧，识字读书，明白事理。在中国古代，人们从小要接受“蒙学”，才能成为有教养的人，否则就是“教化未开”。据说，早年被启蒙到了什么程度，决定其日后可达到的智力高度。[2]同样，人类社会从传统向现代转型的过程，也与启蒙相伴随；没有启蒙就没有现代化。[3]然而，作为现代话语的“启蒙”，却源自于近代西方。在人类历史上，近代启蒙思想和启蒙运动首发于17世纪后期的英国，后传播到法国、德国等欧洲国家，波及北美，19世纪后期又影响到日本、中国等亚洲国家。[4]正是由于西方有了洛克、斯密、伏尔泰、卢梭、狄德罗等启蒙思想家，才有了之后欧美的工业革命、市场经济和宪政体制。在中国，自晚清时期出现近代启蒙思想后，中国知识分子在“救亡图存”的背景下，借助西方近代思想，改造中国传统文化，塑造新型国民，引发了洋务运动、戊戌变法、新文化运动等。特别是在当代，1978年关于“实践是检验真理的唯一标准”的大讨论，极大地解放了人们的思想，带来了之后“改革开放”的巨大成果。由此，思想的力量可见一斑。[5]长期以来，人们对于启蒙运动有一种误解，认为那是先知先觉的知识分子和哲人启发、教育、训导被启蒙者，因而“启蒙”成了及物动词，其宾语是未开化的芸芸众生。其实，根据现代启蒙思想家康德的解释，启蒙的本质不是“他启”而是“自觉”，即人们从由自我原因的不成熟状态（在缺乏指导下无力运用自我理性的状态）中觉醒，其根源并非是人们缺乏理性，而是缺乏对理性的运用。[6]这种真知灼见至今闪烁着理性的光芒。[7]在西方，启蒙思想的支撑源于人们对于客观规律的认知，如哥白尼的“日心说”、牛顿的“万有引力”、伽利略的“宇宙论”等，认为整个宇宙中的一切物体都遵守同一定律，进而冲破千年的宗教束缚，将这一理性思考引入了人类社会，从而开创了一个不断进取的新时代。在中国，几千年的封建农业社会，使得科技落后、法治传统缺乏，只是受到近代西方启蒙思想（包括马克思主义）的影响，才引入了科学、民主、法治的概念，开始与世界文明接轨。[8]在这一历史大潮中，中国现在比历史上任何时期都更接近中华民族的伟大复兴。正如“一带一路”被越来越多的国家认识到不是中国的独角戏，而是沿途民族的大合唱，每个中国人对于客观与主观世界的深刻、自觉的理性开发，最终将汇集于前所未有的“中国梦”的实现。CompetitionoftranslationTheessenceofenlightenmentTheoriginalmeaningoftheword“Enlightenment”istogetridofignorance,toenablepeopletobecomeliterateandsensible.InancientChina,peoplewereobligedtoreceiveenlightenmenteducationfromaveryyoungagesothattheyshouldbecapableofturningintothecivilized.Otherwisetheywouldbeconsideredtobeuncultivated.Itwasallegedthattheextenttowhichanindividualwasenlightenedattheearlyagedeterminedthelevelofintelligencehewasabletoreachintheupcomingfuture.Likewise,enlightenmentalsoaccompaniedthetransitionofhumansocietyfromaconventionalonetoamodernone.Haditnotbeenfortheenlightenment,modernizationwouldneverhavetakenplace.However,“enlightenment”,inmoderndiscourse,stemmedfrommodernwesternnations.Throughoutthehumanhistory,themodernenlightenmentideologyandtheEnlightenmentMovementwereinitiatedinBritainatfirstinthelate17thcentury,whichwerelaterspreadtocontinentalnationssuchasFrancealongwithGermanyandaffectedNorthAmerica.Afterwards,theyevenexertedinfluenceonAsiancountrieslikeJapanandChinainthelate19thcentury.ItwaswesternilluminativeideologistssuchasLocke,Smith,Voltaire,Rousseau,DiderotandsoonthatcontributedtotheupcomingboomoftheIndustrialRevolutioninAmericaandEurope,marketeconomyalongwiththeconstitutionalmechanisminstore.AfterthemodernandcontemporaryenlightenmentideologywasintroducedtoChinainthelateQingDynasty,theChineseintellectuals,influencedbythenationaltrendtosavethenationfromsubjugationandensureitssurvival,resortedtowesternmodernideas,inwhichcasetheymanagedtotransformconventionalChinesecultures,cultivatebrandnewappearanceofcitizens,whichsubsequentlycontributedtotheoccurringoftheWesternizationMovement,HundredDays'Reform,theNewCultureMovementandsoon.In1978,aheateddebateaboutthefamoussayingwhichgoesthat“practiceisthesolecriterionfortestingtruth”liberatedpeople’sthoughtsonalargescaleespeciallyatmoderntimes,thusgivingrisetotremendouslyfruitfulresultsbroughtaboutbytheimplementationofthereformandopening-uppolicytocome.Asaconsequence,thereisnodenyingthatideologyisgenuinelypowerful..Foralongtime,peoplehavebeentrappedinthemisconceptionabouttheEnlightenmentMovementthatitisaprocessinwhichtheintellectualspossessingforesightinspired,educatedandinstructedthosewhowereenlightened.Asaresult,theword“enlighten”turnedintoatransitiveverb.Meanwhile,itistheuncivilizedmassesthatfunctionasitsobjects.Asamatteroffact,accordingtotheinterpretationofthemodernilluminativeideologistKant,theessenceofenlightenmentisself-awakening,asopposedtoinspirationfromothers.Itisaprocessinwhichpeoplewakeupfromtheimmaturestateofseekingforproblemsanchoredinthemselves(astateofbeingunabletoutilizetheabilityofrationalthinkingwithoutadequateguidance).Insteadofdearthofrationalthinking,ithasitsrootsinpeople’sincapabilityofapplyingreasoningrationally.Suchpenetratingjudgmentsshinethelightofrationalthinkingeventilltoday.Inthewest,thesupportforenlightenmentideologyoriginatedfrompeople’sunderstandingofobjectiverules,suchastheheliocentrictheorybyCopernicus,theuniversalgravitationbyNewton,thecosmologybyGalileiandsoon.Itwasassumedthatalltheobjectsintheuniversecomplywithonesinglerule,inwhichcasepeoplewereblessedwiththeopportunitiestobreakthroughtheconstraintsofreligionswhichhadexistedforthousandsofyearsandbroughtrationalthinkingintothehumansociety,thuspavingthewayforaprogressivelybrandnewperiodoftime.WhileinChina,undertheshadowofthefeudalagriculturalsocietyforthousandsofyears,thenationwascondemnedtobackwardtechnologyalongwithalackoftraditionsofadheringtorulesoflaws.Onlywhenthecountryencounteredtheimpactofmodernwesternenlightenmentideology(includingMarxism)diditgetdowntointroducingtheconceptofscience,democracyandruleoflaws,thusre-establishingcontactwithcivilizationsthroughouttheworld.Amidthisgrandtideofhistory,contemporaryChinaisclosertothegreatrevivaloftheChinesepeoplethananyhistoricalperiods.JustasanascendingnumberofnationscometobeawareofthefactthatitisthepeoplesalongtheroadratherthanChinaalonethatshouldplayaroleinthe“OneBeltandOneRoad”policyofdevelopment,eachChineseperson’sprofound,spontaneousandrationalex